A protest rally against the killings on Monday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Imphal, Feb. 23: Manipur today requested the ceasefire monitoring cell in Dimapur and the Union home ministry to hand over the culprit/s involved in the abduction and killing of three officials to the state government for trial.

The move has come a day after the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) admitted that a senior cadre of the outfit was involved in the abduction and brutal killing of the three government officials.

The NSCN (I-M) in a statement issued in Dimapur yesterday, admitted that self-styled commanding officer of Kiusumong battalion H. Ningshen was involved in the gruesome murders.

The outfit termed its cadre a “black sheep” and said whatever prompted him to undertake such a severe measure against the officials could not justify the “inhuman action”.

The outfit said it would soon announce its decision on what action was to be taken against the rebel.

Sub-divisional officer of Kasom Khullen, Thingnam Kishan, and his five subordinate staff members were abducted on February 13. Kishan and two of the staff members were found murdered on February17 in Senapati district.

The other three missing officials were rescued from Ukhrul on Saturday and they are being interrogated.

“The findings of the interrogation and the confession of the NSCN (I-M) match. The investigation is still in progress and we are making headway,” director-general of police Y. Joykumar Singh said today.

A senior minister said the Ibobi Singh government made a formal request to the ceasefire monitoring cell in Dimapur to hand over the culprit/s to the government for trial.

The state government also apprised the Union home ministry of the development with a request that the culprits be handed over to it.

The DGP said the home ministry would be approached for the custody of the rebels involved in the murders.

The joint action committee, spearheading the protest against the killings, tonight announced the next phase of agitation starting tomorrow.

The committee has demanded the arrest of the NSCN (I-M) cadre responsible for the killing and the report of the probe panel be made public by February 27.